PGA Tour: Open Championship / True South Classic: Notes from the Ballwasher

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1).Well done Zach Johnson, winning the John Deere Classic after you tried hard to throw it away on the first play-off hole. Second win of the season for Zach who is on the Board of the tournament and has done so much to ensure its place on the PGA Tour schedule - reminiscent of Carl Pettersson's win at Greensboro a few years ago in that respect.

2).This win doesn't arithmetically ensure Zach Johnson of a place on Davis Love's Ryder Cup Team, but he and DLIII are near neighbours on the Georgia coast, have worked together to help create "The McGladrey Classic", and it would be a huge surprise if his John Deere success doesn't clinch a spot at Medinah.

3).Troy Matteson came way too close to winning last week's John Deere Classic, leading as he did every day, to throw it all away on his first play-off hole. He would have been the first player to win a Tour event in which he finished last in driving accuracy for 24 years! But he putted for his dough, leading the field in "strokes gained - putting". Sometime College Teammate of Kuchar and Molder, among others.

4).Open Championship week, then, and let's hope Royal Lytham gets the Champion it deserves. Rather like Carnoustie did in 1999, or so Davis Love thought:
"When you have a screwy setup, you're going to get a screwy finish," Love was quoted as saying. "And if Paul Lawrie is the champion that Scotland wanted, I think they got exactly what they wanted."
The R&A get exactly what they want on Thursday, 8.31 a.m. BST, when Lawrie and Love tee it up together with Tim Clark!

5).Let's see who's done well in the past at Lytham:
1996 result:
1st: Lehman
2nd: Els
11th: Darren Clarke, Vijay Singh
14th: Duval
18th: Harrington
22nd: Woods, Stricker
27th: Broadhurst (also 58th and Leading Amateur in 1988 - hope he plays well this week, will never get the credit he deserves for his 1991 Ryder Cup play.)
41st: Calc, Mickelson
Also made the cut: Hamilton, Furyk, Allenby, Ames, Lyle, Daly, Goosen

6).2001 result:
1st: Duval
3rd: Els, Clarke, Jimenez
9th: Garcia
13th: Vijay, Goosen, Jacquelin
21st: DLIII
23rd: Michael Campbell, Greg Owen
25th: Woods
29th: Barry Lane
30th: Cink, Mickelson, Rose
37th: Harrington
42nd: Stricker, Paul Lawrie
Also made the cut: Allenby, Scott, Westwood, Calc, Lyle.

7).The last two Major winners won Majors their namesakes had won, Watson and Simpson. Sadly Jarrod Lyle won't be maintaining the tradition as he battles leukemia in Australia. But Aussie Luke Elvy tweets a promising update on Jarrod's condition:
"Has had his ups and downs over the past 6 weeks but Bone Marrow tests overnight showed no leukemia cells. Great news."
Get well, Jarrod, hope to see you on Tour soon.

8).No idea who'll win this week, fingers crossed though for Westwood and Harrington. Obviously Els, Clarke and Vijay have played well here in the past, but, Woods apart, it's difficult to see where any American challenge might come from. (Interesting take in USA Today on David Toms' non-participation: "He's pulled out of the British on several occasions due to injury and general disinterest."!)
Apart from the golden oldies, Woods, Stricker, Furyk and Phil, the leading Americans in the owgr have little to show for their trips to The Open, Dustin Johnson, Fowler, Mahan and Watney scoring the only 5 top 15's.

9).Hate disclaimers but this week's "opposite field event", the True South Classic in Mississippi, has been abandoned by PGA Tour players in their droves, very few of the owgr top 200 bothering to show up for a $540K first prize. Players are withdrawing by the dozen and it seems futile to speculate too much about the event. If they don't care, why should we?

Except to say that it's a BIG tournament for Gary Christian and Russell Knox, not to mention the ailing Richard S.Johnson and a golfer with an excellent record in Lytham Opens, Alex Cejka - a cut for Cejka this week will earn him PGA Tour "Veteran" status as he reaches 150 career cuts. Good luck Alex, but a poor reward for a first-time sponsor and a Jack Nicklaus course that the players rate more highly than Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill and the Greenbrier.

10).Finally, Majors may be two-a-penny on the Champions Tour, two-in-Michigan even, but Sundridge Park's Roger Chapman won't be complaining as he added the US Senior Open title to the Senior PGA he won a few weeks ago. Two fingers, then, to the USGA who only saw fit to invite five Europeans (Hogberg went through qualifying) to their Senior Open which is even more of a closed shop than the Champions Tour. Pathetic.

Roger Chapman won't mind though as he will be at Kiawah Island for next month's PGA Championship, and joins Lee Westwood in being the first two Englishmen to punch their tickets to next year's US Open at Merion.

Just a wee taster from Mcdowells post round interview!!

My admiration for Tom Watson keeps growing. He is a very very likable old man.

Mac,
Big gap between Fowler and Keegan Bradley but otherwise they seemed to move along pretty well. Good! Still think Laird will be passed tomorrow by Daly and Watson.



Leff,
You be careful who you're calling an old man. I'll be kicking in your South Beach door before you know it.

Kwini.

My old man, a year younger than Watson, lives about half hour South of Man City in Cheshire. He may go there tomorrow.

You have to ride a ferry from South Beach to knock on our door in Fisher Island. We are safe.

Leff,

fishers island!!

Are you some sort of banker?

Mac,
Fisher Island, Fla (not Fishers Island, NY).

Realistically this is between Scott and McDowell. Brandt won't do anything special tomorrow. Maybe Woods will go all out and post a low number, but I wouldn't bank on it. The -5's are too far back.

I am predicting a 9 under

mysti

That hardly counts as prophetic 20 posts after I say scott will shot 71/72.

Only kidding, who do you think will be on -9? If its that low then a play off could be a real possibility.

Scott 72
Mcdoo 68
tiger 67

It could happen.

zach and scott- play off

Happy to see the Big Easy is having a good tournament.

Meanwhile, in Mississippi, there have been doings as well.
After a couple of suspensions of play, Round 2 is complete and Round 3 has just got underway.
Cream, such as it is, rising towards the top, with Billy Horschel (sure to win when he finally retrieves his card) and veteran Jason Bohn leading the way, Bud Cauley (nice to hear from him again) and Luke Guthrie close behind.

Only Blake Adams of those certain to make the play-offs missed the cut, but some fringe Tour pros who desperately need a decent payday, missed out;
DJ Trahan, Lee Janzen, Richard S.Johnson, Bobby Gates, Brendan Steele (who played so well en France), and Will MacKenzie among them.

But Alex Cejka made the cut, his career 150th, and has secured Veteran Status on Tour. Which means that, however poorly he plays he'll always retain some form of conditional status for Tour fields, albeit just the weaker ones. If he hadn't made this cut, or at least a cut by year's end, he would have lost his Tour membership unless he requalified via Q-School.

biltongbek,
A strong effort by you Springboks, fourteen in the field and Aiken and Oosthuizen up there as well as Ernie.
Not a good day today for the Goose however, and poor form from Clark, Immelman and the seemingly unfit Schwartzel.

Els has been playing nice all year so no reason why he cant add to his majors- well there is a couple and thats the big boys stepping to the plate- but seeing as all we seem to have this days is new one off major winners they just arnt!!

Yeah thanks mate, I would have liked though if one of them were a little closer, I think Ernie is 6 shots off the pace, within 3 shots I would have thought it still a possibility, but I suppose a few good placings won't go down too badly.

Robo will confirm but I think today's scoring average was 71.8.

Round 1 was 71.5 and round 2 72.01.

For those making the cut the round 1 scoring average was 69.8 and round 2 70.3.

So, if my numbers are correct, things are getting harder even for those in form. I wonder, does that make it less likely that someone can catch scott. And therefore meaning we need him to come back if we want to see a decent spectacle.

scotts idol is norman...

and he likes a KFC.

not looking great tbh

mysti

Did bolt not claim to have eaten chicken nuggets before slaying all in has path at the 2008 olympics?

bolt is a god of his sport- scott is just good

Aye it is guid to see A Scott leading the Open.

Will be three long putters out of four if A Scott wins it.

Anyone know what Scott and Sneds are like in the wind? Forecast is pretty bad for tomorrow - wouldn't be surprised if it's between Woods and McDowell.

McLaren wrote:Robo will confirm but I think today's scoring average was 71.8.

Round 1 was 71.5 and round 2 72.01.

For those making the cut the round 1 scoring average was 69.8 and round 2 70.3.

So, if my numbers are correct, things are getting harder even for those in form. I wonder, does that make it less likely that someone can catch scott. And therefore meaning we need him to come back if we want to see a decent spectacle.

I always think more players stand a chance if conditions are tough Mac. Even when the wind and rain gets up and scores are high, there's always the faint chance of someone going low, and making up 5 or 6 shots on the field in the process. The obvious example is Lawrie leapfrogging everyone shooting mid-70s in 1999, and Richard Finch in Sweden last year is similar, though Noren was so far ahead of everyone else after 54 he still held on. If the weather's calm, then even if a few of the leaders struggle you have to expect at least one of them to post a respectable round, and when that happens anyone coming from the pack needs to go ridiculously low.


Meanwhile, William McGirt making a run in Mississippi. I see that despite a decent year last year and a good start this, he's still never had a top 10 on tour. Yet he's up to $951k earnings and counting - some kind of record surely?

Hate to quote the BBC but Wayne Grady has a nice remark attributed to him:
"Scott has won in Australia in wind that blows dogs off chains."

If he doesn't win, no reason why McDowell also shouldn't be able to cope.

Just don't see anyone off the pace who's going to come with a run, unless it's McDo or Snedeker.

Just like Fred Couples did at the Masters, Mark Calcavecchia is showing why exempting past champs into the tournament is not a bad thing.

So, if Europe is to win this it will certainly be by yet another Irishman.

One things for certain: if Lee or Luke are going to win a major they can't keep doing what they do. Dig a hole too deep to come out of.

Adam it's your time.

Last Open win by
An Austrailian.......19 years
An Englishman.....17 years [most probably 18 now]

Today I'll be in front of the coverage from start to finish, and for golfing reasons I'll be very happy for Adam Scott for kwinfantasy golf I'll be pulling for MocDonut

Faldo calling on of the beeb guys a "tv muppet", how ironic.

Poulter makes an eagle two!!! shot of the day so far!!

Then bogeys the fourth.
Sublime and ridiculous already from Westwood, but a decent round in progress for Fisher.

Live Text on the BBC is plumbing new depths of incompetence. Where do they find these people?

Hopoefully that round from fish will kickstart his season this year- decent under par rd today- it looks abit more blustery today

doon

I think there may be an issue with your maths, as Faldo won it in 1992 and norman in 1993. We are in 2012.

Looks like Hunter Mahan has nicked some clothes from Rickie Fowler's locker.
Memo to Hun'ner: No-one cares about Oklahoma State in Britain.

Does anyone care about Oklahoma state outside Oklahoma?


What number has to be posted to make Scott a little jittery?

If Haas, bubba or Louis got to -7 would that be enough to make scott question whether he could post the number needed?

Lots of speculation that Scott's aggressive approach will be his undoing. Don't buy that myself, think he just needs to remember that par is a good score, he's making his putts and can't imagine that anyone else's score will concern him.
His to lose.

ii think if he tries to protect/defend he may get into trouble..

Think G-mac will take it today, but could easily be any of the top 6 (hopefully not tiger :P)

Does anyone know where the likes of Tiger and phil stay during the open?

Do they helicopter it in from somewhere or do they actually stay in the local areas?

Breaking news: Tiger is injured.

By the way he was limping in I reckon his knee has gone again.

Tiger rented Southport for the week.

Doesn't look that windy after all on the Beeb. Scott's to lose I reckon. Only bad things about a Scott win would be the broom-handle putter and Steve Williams...

McLaren wrote:Breaking news: Tiger is injured.

By the way he was limping in I reckon his knee has gone again.

Are you serious? Where did you see that?

The bbc showed him walking from the car park and he was limping badly. Almost looked unable to walk.

yeah tigers out

jesus

mysti

he is not out he just looked to be in a little discomfort. Maybe he always limps but he definitely was limping.

we can wish tho mac

lukes gonna birdie 18 holes